SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERING
ARTS
MATH

Though I do not consider myself as having STEAM skills, I can truly recognize the value of teaching, modeling, encouraging, and inspiring STEAM in our students and schools. My husband Lee has been teaching STEAM since my children – who are now twenty and seventeen – were little.
He would play classical music to each when they were in my belly so that their brain would be stimulated in arts and math of the rhythms, patterns, and sounds in each song. He would read to them every night after they were born to help their brains grow in love of wonder. He worked for toy and game companies all their lives, and would involve them in testing and building new games. When he worked for LEGO, he got them involved with LEGO Robotics; and he has been coaching Robotics for the ten years since…
Always pushing STEAM forward…
Even creating a website RaisingNerd.com dedicated to STEAM.
So, I may not know all the hows of STEAM, but I definitely understand the whys…
Springfield Public Schools and Elias Brookings Elementary School understand the whys as well…
Denise Matuszczak, Senior Administrator of Digital Learning and Assessment, and Liane Kendall, Brookings STEAM Teacher, have been identifying and inventing creative ways to provide the Computer Science for All curriculum through STEAM at select Springfield Public Schools, including Brookings. This valuable curriculum is being piloted at schools from Pre-K to Grade 12, and the results are simply amazing!
On Wednesday, May 3, Brookings celebrated the fruits of the children’s STEAM efforts with a Math and Technology Fun Night, where the students’ handmade computerized and robotized projects were on display for almost one hundred guests to view and manipulate for fun and excitement.
From littles to bigs, all heads, hands, and hearts were engaged with the projects and activities; and each left the event feeling excited and inspired by STEAM.
Denise attended the event which was thoughtfully created and hosted by Liane; Brookings Family Liaison Awilda Sanchez; Brookings Math Instructional Leadership Specialist Stephanie Roszko; AmeriCorps Member Hailey MacDonald; and Brookings Principal Terry Powe; along with a host of Brookings Educators were on hand for support.
Of the celebration and regarding STEAM in general, Denise said she “had a blast, and the highlight of my day is when I visit schools and see students so excited to learn about computer science! I’ve met students as young as Pre-K who learn about algorithms by using directions and math to make a robot reach its destination. The look of anticipation on students’ faces is priceless as they try to solve a problem and keep trying until they succeed. There is no better feeling than to see students proud about what they have accomplished and eager to learn more!”
Equally enthusiastic, Liane had this to say: “I love Computer Science because I see how much the students love it! When I walk into a room with all of my Computer Science equipment, the class cheers! We start Computer Science in preschool at Brookings, where they learn to do things in order and are able to program a simple robot (Beebot). When they get to 5th grade, they are able to code and build a robot! The best part is when I learn something new from the students!”
With this energy and excitement behind STEAM, it’s no wonder that Springfield Public Schools, including Elias Brookings Elementary, are full STEAM ahead…
About Computer Science for All (CS for All): The Springfield Public Schools (SPS) are working toward the integration of Massachusetts new Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards as supporting standards in the unit planning guides for all content areas in grades K through 8. At the high school level, SPS is implementing AP Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles, and Exploring Computer Science. Csforall.org Additionally, according to the UMASS.edu/CSforAllSpringfieldMA site: we are a partnership between UMass Amherst’s Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences and College of Education, Springfield Public Schools, Five College Consortium, and SageFox Consulting Group. Together, we share the common goal of bringing computer science to all the K-5 students in the Springfield Public Schools system… For information regarding what your child’s school or your local school may be doing toward STEAM, please reach out to the school. ■